Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1887-03-18

oe with all these cold sorrows OF earth; they
shall be melted away at last before the warm
sunshine of heaven.
While present these thoughts this morn
ing does it not seem that heaven comes very
near to us, as though our friends, whom we
thought great way off, are not In the dis
tance but close byl You have sometimes
come down to a river at nightfall, and you.
have been surprised how easily you could hear
voices across that river. You shouted over to
the other side of the river, and they shouted
back. 1t is said that, when George White
field preached in Third street, Philadelphia,
one evening time, his voice was heard clear
across to the New Jersey shore. When was
a little while chaplain in the army, remem-
Der how at eventide we could easily hear the
voices of the pickets across the Potomac, Just
when they were using ordinary tones. And
as we come to-day and stand by the river of
Jordan that divides us from our friends who
are gone. it seems to me we stand on one
bank, and they stand on the other; and it is
only narrow stream, and our voices go and
their voices come. Hark! Hushl / hear dis
tinctly what they say: "TheSe are they
who come out of great tribulation,
and had their robes washed and
made white in the blood of the Lamb"
Still the voice comes across the waters, and
| hear: "We hunger no more, we thirst no
more, neither shall the sun light on us, nor
any heat, for the Lamb which is in the midst
| Of the throne leads us to living fountains of
water, and God wipeth away all tears from
our eyes"
The brightness of this festal hour is shad-
owed with the sorrow of a sister church
| whose pastor is dying, or dead. Though your
politics and your religion may have been diff
rerent, think you will all agree in say
me- that when Henay Ward Beecher goes out
| IF this life it will leave a vast vacuum in
this city and in the land. For eighteen
Tears we have been friendly neighborS Six
weeks after my arrival in this city as pas
| Tor, in giving out notice in his own church,
ne went clear out of his way to give me a
! most kindly welcome and to prophesy the
| happiness of my ministry in this city.
On the day in which the church was
dedicated to the service of Almighty
God he hastened from his own church doors
TO join in the dedicatory service and you re-
member what words of hope He uttered on
that occasion. Autumn before last, you re-
member, he presided at the reception given
me on my return from Europe and
you remember what generous words he ut
cred then Only two or three weeks ago he
vas present on a festal occasion at my house
md his departure from life is to me personal
bereavement. He was the friend of the slave.
he friend of the outcast, the friend of the
aboring man, the friend Of the capitalist, the
| riend of the friendlesS, the friend of all.
| e would be hafuly melclu loT US
% pray too ardently for his de-
;ention here, since physicians say that if he
remains on earth it will be with destroyed
intellect, and Henry Ward Beecher without
genius, without wit, without brilliancy, with
out geniality, and without eloquence would
be a stranger to us all. So l have two
wishes: The one that he may have a peace
full departure into the good land which
God has provided for all who love Him
where there are no tears and there shall bt
no partings, and there can be no death. AnC
my other wish is that upon his family ant
upon his church there may come the comfort
ing, almighty grace of God. So grand marrci
and dirge mingle to-day, gladness and grief
congratulation and deep sympathy.